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c. E. EGAN AND E. F. JACKSON.

SUBMARINE MINE.

APPLICATION HLEn'Auq.3. 1911.

'Patent ed J une 10, 1919.

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C. E. EGAN AND E. F JACKSON.

SUBMARINE MINE.

APPLICAT ION FILED AUG.3. I917.

Patented J ulie 10,1919.

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' i U run sATs PAT *1 ohms CHARLES E. EGAN ,AND ELVA F. JACKSON, OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA,

ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO LEWIS C. SUMMERS, JOHN R. JOHN W. JEA'UIJEIY, ALL OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

CRISWELL, AND

. SVUBMABINTE MINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. EGAN and ELVA F. JACKSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county of Kanawha and State of West Virginia, have invented'new and useful Improvements in Submarine Mines, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to weapons of war, the object being to provide a submarine mine which may be dropped from a vessel, aeroplane or other means of transporting it over or above the sea, orbe expelled from a gun, and maybe controlled for explosion after reaching a predetermined depth under water, a predetermined interval of time after launching, or at the will of an operator who directs the launching. The mine consists of, an air tank containingcompressed air or other gaseous medium under pressure,- which tank is detachably connected With a bomb containing a high explosive, and means fordisoonnecting the two, external means as a shot directed at the tank after launching, or automatically after "a fixed time interval, thereby releasing air pressure in the tank and acting on a trigger setting free the bomb from the floating element of the tankland permitting it to sink in thesea; during the, sinking operation of the bomb, slack is paid out from a coil of twine in the-head of the bomb, and when ,all is paid out, the twine is rendered taut andoperat'es a circuit closer within the bomb, exploding a charge of dynamite, nitro-glycerin, or other desired explosive. The j considerable depth under water at which the explosion occurs insures an instan taneous' development of great hydrostatic pressure by the body of superincumbent 1 water'- and the enormous energy set free in the explosion instantaneously radiates in all I fdire'ctions and is communicated to any hos line boiled in thebomb-head, which is paid out-as it sinksuntil all of the line slack is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10, 1919.

taken up, when the bomb is exploded; it comprises other specific features which will be hereinafter more fully/detailed and will be fully indicated in the claims. I

' In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 illustrates partly in section a combined float and bomb embodying our invention with the several elements in relation prior to immersion.

Fig. '2 is a sectional view on a plane at right angles to that illustrated in Fig. 1 showing a condition of the float and bomb, in normal position in full lines, and in dotted position after launching and while the v line which controls the explosion is being paid out.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the top of the air tank showing in plan the trigger-mechanism for releasing the bomb.

Fig. 4: is a detail view of a timing mechanism governing the explosion at will.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail in the plane 55 of Fig. 4 showing the structure of the valve mechanism. v a

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail showing the relations of the trigger mechanism in the air tank at the time of launching.

Referring now to the drawings, and first to Fig. 1, 1 represents an air-tight tank having a reentrant chamber at the top, over which is a screwed lidv2 engagi ng a vulcanized'rubber seat 3, and lis a strong metallic vessel of' steel or heavy ironconstituting a bomb. The bomb and air tank are normally thrust together by sliding two stout rods 5, 5 bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the head of the bomb into internal tubes, as shown, in the air tank, as better seen in Fig. 2. The head of the bomb has a flat seat 6 covered with a thin packing of soft rubber 7 to prevent infiltration of water between the two parts after launching. The bomb body 4 contains a charge of gun-cotton or other high explosive 8. In: the bomb-head at the top is supported on insulating material 9 a circuit-closer 10, the yielding ele ment of which is connected to a flexible cord wn'eethe cord 11 is paid off and rendered taut, the circuit will be closed from the bomb case, battery 13, through 9, through a dynamite cap 14' in which the heat of a closed current explodes the cap, thereby exploding the high explosiaze charge of gun cotton, nitro-glycerin or other explosive within the bomb.

, The tanklmay be filled with compressed air, or other gas, bya bicycle valve 15 soldered into the base of the tank Onthe side of the tank is an air valve 16 governing the rate of ieakage .of the compressed air with which it is filled. This valve-is shown in section in Fig. 5., and comprises a tapered stem 17 cooperating with the tapered hole in the bottom or recess in the tank wall. An adjusting screw 18 pennitsthisto be nicely adjusted to govern the rate of leakage of air charge would remain undisturbed inthe tank, but by adjustment to various determined positions on the scale of Fig. i, any interval desired up to an hour for reduction of pressure in the air tank, which determines the release of \the bomb from the floating element, is secured. r

The rods 15, 5 constituting the-connection with the floating tank,pass-through tubes within the tank. At the top these rods are grooved and when the rods are pushed home, the rubber seat 7 is brought up into firm engagement with the base of the float and forms a water-tight connection. In this position two pivoted arms 19, 19?, urged by a spring 20, snap under the recessed grooves at the top of the rodsand look them so that the bomb is in tight relation to the tank. These rods.19, 19 are pivotally secured to a connecting bar 21 which carriesa cam, 22 so that when the cam is shifted laterally by its sloping face, disengagement of the rods .5, 5

with the floating element isefliected. -This release is determined either automatically or at will uponpredeterminedreduction of alr-pressure in the tank. Thus, if at a .cer-- tain interval after launching the mine the launching operator deems themoment fit to explode the charge, he can immediately direct that a rifle be discharged at the float by which thetank will be punctured, thereby securing reduction of air-pressure and permitting the bomb to sink. 0n the other hand, if the valve-mechanism hereinbefore described is to be used after the set interval of time, the disconnection of the bomband its discharge after sinking a given depth, is effected. H

The mode of efiecting the discharge at a considerable depth under the sea level is de- I "termined by a flexible line 23, the lower end oi? which is fastened to the circuit closer 10 of Fig. 1,:andwhich passesfthrough a rubfbcrgasket in a small hole in 24 in the bomb-head. Thence the cord is coiled in of the float. v p

' The-means for determmlng the d sconnec- 7 'tion of the bomb and float are shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 8. A spiral spring, mounted in a support -on a platform in the inner wall of the float, is; rigidly attached at one end' of the spring' to the plattorm, as indicated b326, vand athe free end 27 terms an arm which-engages a pivoted .bail 2:8. This fblil fidlljlGS an integral arm whichoverlap's a trigger29 pivoted in a seat at 30. 7 Thus, by grasping-the bail 28 and drawing the springu-ntil it lies hat on the p platform, then moving the trigger Larm until this-cup and attached to an eye in thebase it engages adetent .31, the spring will be looked under tension by .a latch which will .now be described.

This latch consists of a movablelrod 32 supported on .a corrugated diaphragm 33 I having 'a tubular opening 34 into the air compressed chamber of the tank 1. Two of these diaphragms 33aresoldered togetherat their circular edges. Therefore, under the air-pressure the. diaphragms are pushed apart, raising the rod 32 against the bias of .-a helical spring 35' until it passes and Ob-Y trudesor .locksthe latch 29 against dropping off under. ar through the bias of its retractingwspring' 36. This is a leafspring and stands'in a vertical position being secured at its base toa slotted. Plate by which its ten- With ithisconstruction, when the bomb and .sion may be adj usted-by means {of a -screw37.

. v floatiare assembled, it-will be seenthat the arms 19, 19 hold it locked in the assembled relation and that the air-pressure v mainpressure in the tank, the diaphragm 'no longer being expanded, permits the 32 to lower,thereby uncovering-the latch 29 and permitting its spring 36-to push the latch spring bias under which the bail 28 has been put, throws the latter instantly with a iolent blow, somewhat after the manner of construction of a common mouse trap a'nd tained inthe tank 1 intercepts the latch 29 by raising the rod 32. The latch, therefore,

. J 7 i is firmly locked, but upon reduction of 'airout of thejrecess 31, whereupon the, strong.

delivers a hammer blow upon thecam 22 at its slopingwall, thereby forcing the .cam to move laterally and opening the engagement 1 between the locking arms 19, 19" with the.

two rods 5, 5 carried by the bomb. 7 There-- upon the bomb will be free to moveaway from its float and sink, and in doingso, the

slack is taken up fromthe coil of cord 23 in Y the bomb head. 1Thiscoil-ofeord may-be .-of 'any desired length to the purpose thatthe f launching operator.

" and detent therefor normally maintainm "theqconnection, elastic means under fluid pressure inthe float normally latch in engagement, whereby upon reducbomb maybe exploded at any given depth 1 under the surface of the sea. I I g the depth, the'more violent will be the hy- The greater drostatic pressure of the explosion and the greater damage will result. The length of line, therefore, will be predetermined by the As the bomb sinks, when a depth is attained by which all of the slack in the line 23 is taken up,the circuitcontroller will be raised into contact with its J I anvil 12 therebycinstantly detonating the cap 14 and exploding the explosive charge of v dynamite,

-' explosive.

nitro-glycerin, or other desired In some cases it may be desirable to launch o the mine by means of a catapult, pneumatic gun or other launching means by which it s may be thrown a considerable distance. i We desire that our invention may be construed v Twith reference to any desired means of launching the mine.

- Having thus describedour invention, what 7 i swe claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

" 1. A submarine mine comprising float "filled withcompressed air, an attached bomb adapted to sink when released, a detent controlling the release upon reduction of airpressure in the float, a slack cord rendered taut at a given depth under water, and

' means within the bomb to explode the charge of highexplosive when the cord is taut.

2. A submarine mine comprising a hollow float, an attached bomb connected to the float and adapted to sink when released, a latch holding the tion of fluid pressure the latch is released to disconnect the bomb, flexible means paid out on release of the latch, and detonating means to explode the bomb When the flexible means is fully paid out.

3. A submarine floating mine adapted to be planted in hostile water comprising a floating tank of compressed air, an attached bomb filled with high explosive, a trigger adapted to disconnect the bomb, a detent for the trigger released on reduction of air-pres sure, a spring actuated on release of the trigger adapted to positively mechanically operate the bomb connection with the float, permitting the latter to sink to a predetermined depth of submergence, and means for operating a cap to explode the bomb when so submerged.

4. A submarine floating mine adapted to be launched in hostile water, means for filling the floating element with compressed air, a diaphragm distended by the air-pressure, a trigger held locked when thediaphragm is distended, and released when retracted, a spring held under tension when the trigger is locked adapted to give a hammer-blow on a latching device, a' bomb connected to the floating element by the latching device, a flexible line in the head of the bomb adapted to be paid out on release of the latching device, whereby the bomb may sink in water, a circuit-closer operated when a given depth of bomb submergence is reached and the line made taut, and a cap to explode the bomb operated by the circult-closer.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures.

CHARLES E. EGAN. ELVA F. JACKSON.

v I copies' o f this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

